Fear and loathing in Fountain Hills over the proposed property tax increase, stated differently, the rhetoric of arguments devoid of any real meaning.

The fear: Property values will fall by several thousand a year. Awesome; normally property values swing many tens of thousands of dollars in a year, so this would be much less volatile! Perhaps the better point is that property values will continue to rise and fall with or without this proposed tax increase. Simply ask any Californian moving to Fountain Hills to escape high taxes. Their increasing demand will increase home values.

The fear: If you do not pass this increase, voters will be punished with cuts to EMS. How grand it would be to say, “increase my budget many millions of dollars” before you take a new position while promising retribution for failure to do so. Are we being asked to give additional monies so that the town administration has no real or clear financial responsibilities? Is this about “fun times?”

Stated differently, the development in the downtown area has morphed into something that the town did not want and is the perfect metaphor for concerns about this increase. Will this increase morph into a similar problem and concern?

The loathing: only uninformed voters would vote against this measure seems to be a printable label, and heaven help you should you put a sign up!

Perhaps the incoming administration should assess the issues and causes before they ask for more tax money. Perhaps the current administration should provide a reasonable understanding to revenue all the development in terms of projected and actual is providing, so we the citizens can vote responsibly without hyperbolic rhetoric or personal attacks.

Please vote, whatever that vote may be.